Foods that Can Make You Sick

The contamination of food with various substances causes illness for millions of people each year. Often fresh fruits and vegetables which are not thoroughly washed before consumption are the most contaminated, but other foods are at risk as well.

Foods that can affect your health

– Melon – melon can be infected with Listeria, which is particularly dangerous, with quite serious manifestations, especially in pregnant women. Listeria lives in soil and infects the melon both inside and outside. In addition, Listeria survives and even multiply at low temperatures (such as those in the fridge).

– Spinach and other green leafy vegetables – Some of the most commonly contaminated foods are the one with green leaves. This is believed to be the cause of numerous diseases. The problem is that often dark green leafy vegetables are eaten raw. Sometimes their contamination occurs even inside the house. Make sure you do not wash raw vegetables and meat in the same container or use the same utensils and do not keep them in the same place in the refrigerator.
In addition, before use, wash and rinse well the leaves of spinach, lettuce and other vegetables that you eat raw.

– Eggs and Salmonella – Eggs are most commonly contaminated with salmonella. Most often, Salmonella infects the ovaries of the hens that make eggs. The best way to protect against salmonella is to cook the eggs, so they are not eaten soft.

– Toxins in tuna – Tuna’s biggest problem is not the amount of mercury that may be present in it, but toxin called scombrotoxin. This may live in the tuna fish meat if it was not kept cold after being captured. Unfortunately, the toxin cannot be destroyed even after boiling. Symptoms include headache, nausea and palpitations. However, most people infected with scombrotoxin do not need treatment.

– Tomatoes and Salmonella – Salmonella can penetrate inside a tomato plant through the root system. Tomatoes may be contaminated with bacteria or norovirus through cracks in their shell during handling or due to improper preparation in terms of restaurants. Once the tomatoes have been infected, the only way to avoid food poisoning is cooking the vegetable at high temperatures.

– Cyclospores of berries – These are parasites that come from the eggs of a parasite that contaminates food. They are found mostly in berries. Carefully wash the berries before you eat.

– Ice cream and soft cheeses – Following the pasteurization process, many of the bacteria that cause various types of diseases are destroyed. However, not all foods are pasteurized.

Ice cream may be contaminated with salmonella and staphylococcus bacteria. For soft cheeses such as feta, brie or camembert, there is a 20% probability of listeria being present. Hard cheeses such as cheddar and Asiago are usually pasteurized and can be consumed safely, even by pregnant women.